[ By Dean Napolitano, Wall Street Journal]
The soft-porn movie “3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy” pulled in HK$13.1 million (US$1.7 million) on its opening weekend in Hong Kong, topping the weekend box office chart, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing the local Motion Picture Industry Association.
The box office figure, for the four-day period ending Sunday, was unusually high for Hong Kong, especially since the movie carries a Category III rating that prohibits people under the age of 18 years old from seeing it.
The movie, which its creators billed as “the world’s first major 3D erotic movie,” packed Hong Kong theaters, with many screenings sold out or nearly sold out, as curious moviegoers paid up to HK$120 a ticket. One theater chain in the city was charging HK$175 a ticket for a small screening room that seats fewer than 20 people.
Its producers used various marketing gimmicks to lure audiences into cinemas, including ladies’ night screenings and midnight shows. “3D Sex and Zen” cost HK$25 million to make, the producers have said.
The Cantonese-language movie is about a young Ming Dynasty-era scholar who embarks on a journey of sexual self-discovery after leaving his wife. The film — with its frequent campy humor — includes scenes of nudity and explicit — and at times even violent — sex, which got mixed reactions from audiences.
The movie also topped the weekend box office in Taiwan, where it opened Friday. For the three-day period, it earned $7.22 million New Taiwan (US$248,000) in the capital Taipei and an estimated $15 million New Taiwan across the island, according to distributor Long Shong Group.
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